Joan Ackermann's Ice Glen, a new play set in a crumbling artist's retreat in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, gets its world premiere Dec. 7-Jan. 16. 2005, at Florida Stage in Manalapan, in sunny Palm Beach County.

Set circa 1918, "Ice Glen follows a group of wonderfully eccentric characters who are immersed in a life of nature, poetry and the desire to fulfill their dreams," according to production notes. "With Ice Glen, Ms. Ackermann deftly manages to evoke a lost era as America was moving from the cloistered world of innocence to the developing modern world in which it would play a major role in industry, commerce and the arts."

Michael Bigelow Dixon directs a cast that includes Dan Leonard and Elizabeth Dimon, both veterans of Florida Stage and of the South Florida Theatrical scene, and Carlo Alban, Stacia Rice, Alicia Roper and Brian Goranson.

Florida Stage is the resident Palm Beach County theatre devoted to new plays. The 2004-05 season opened with the world premiere of Miklat. The company operates Manalapan's Plaza del Mar Center, 262 South Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan, FL. Performances are Wednesday-Friday at 8 PM, Sunday at 7 PM, with 2 PM matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $41-$44.